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Passenger recalls JetBlue emergency ordeal

(CBS News) Passengers on JetBlue flight 194 from Las Vegas to New York's Kennedy Airport last weekend didn't gamble on their plane making an emergency landing after a harrowing ordeal on board.

Now, new details are emerging about what it was like on Sunday's flight. One of the 155 passengers - New Yorker Tom Mizer - told CBS News it was quite a ride: four excruciating hours in the air - beginning right after takeoff due to hydraulic difficulties. The plane continued to maneuver on reserve hydraulics as the plane circled the city, burning fuel so it could safely land.

While the ordeal was terrifying, JetBlue says at no time was there a total loss of hydraulics. These planes are designed with back-ups - double and in most cases triple redundancy. The idea: when one set of hydraulics fails, there are others to ensure the plane is completely maneuverable.

Once back on the ground in Las Vegas, another jet was flown in to get the passengers to New York.

Watch Jim Axelrod's report with the passenger's account of the wild ride - and safe landing - in the video above.

Jim Axelrod is the anchor of the Saturday edition of the "CBS Evening News" and a national correspondent for CBS News, reporting for the "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley" and other CBS News broadcasts.